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In Case You Missed It:

The emotional side of Alzheimer's disease

Instead of trying to bring people back to reality, caregivers are
advised to empathize and establish an emotional connection.

Alzheimer's disease is usually depicted as mainly a disease
that affects memory and thinking, partly because memory lapses
are so noticeable during the beginning of the disease. People in
the early stages of the disease start to lose things, forget
once-familiar faces, and struggle to recall recent events. Other
cognitive problems soon develop, including a shortened attention
span, difficulties with language, and an inability to think
logically. In the later stages, people may completely lose the
ability to speak. Eventually, much of what we consider conscious
thought disappears.

But emotional aspects of the disease may be just as important,
especially to the friends and family who serve as caregivers. On
the negative side, Alzheimer's sufferers may have feelings of
anger, anxiety, depression, fear, and loneliness. On the positive
side, they may feel serene and joyful, and are especially capable
of "living in the moment." Joanne Koenig Coste, an
influential Alzheimer's disease activist- turned-consultant,
believes that wandering, aggression, and other behavioral changes
seen in people with Alzheimer's disease are the direct
consequence of feelings that arise because of their cognitive
difficulties. In her book Learning to Speak Alzheimer's,
she calls it a "disease of the emotions."